User Reviews

Reddish brown in color, with sweet malt and molasses on the nose. Taste is candied fruit, raisins, light plum, and Brown sugar. Very bitter on the back end and surprisingly thin for such a big beer. For a winter warmer, it leaves you pretty cozy.

What a pleasant surprise!!! Poured a rich mahogany with an off color two finger head of foam. Didn't notice the lacing for my anxiousness to go directly to taste. Did not disappoint. Sweet cherries and chocolate- not unlike the candy from Cella's. Silky mouthfeel and a memorable aftertaste that provoked past events of my youth. Perfect carbonation. Truly a fine brewed rendition of comfortable stress relieving sex. I will give these folk another chance...an IPA from GVB that I sampled last month sucked.

Every year now I pick up a couple of these because I kinda of like this beer. It never really lets me down. However this is the only beer from Golden Valley Brewery I like. The brewery is near by and I should go for a visit.

A: Pours a nice clear reddish color with a good sized frothy white head and good lacing down the glass
S: Smell is sweet and malty also some caramel scents in there
T: Caramel and toffee sweetness up front followed by a grassy/herbal hop presence
M: Medium bodied beer finished a little dry
O: Maybe not as good as last years concoction. But I'm a fan.

A: Pours a nice clear reddish color with a good sized frothy white head and good lacing down the glass
S: Smell is sweet and malty also some caramel scents in there
T: Caramel and toffee sweetness up front followed by a grassy/herbal hop presence
M: Medium bodied beer finished a little dry
O: This is a pretty good beer, would buy this one again.

Dark reddish orange in color (slightly hazy) with an off-white head that dissipated slowly and left some lacing on the glass. Aroma of sweet and caramel malts with some light floral hops. Flavor is very similar to taste, with the addition of vanilla and alcohol. Although this is a malt heavy brew, it's very well balanced. Body is medium, it's lightly carbonated, and has a creamy mouth feel. The taste of alcohol is noticeable, but it provides a very nice warming feeling in the finish. Very drinkable despite the higher alcohol content.

S-Somewhat subdued malt aroma that is biscuit like with caramel. There is also a very faint floral hop presence in the nose. Expected more from its supposedly "massive malt complex."

T-Toasted caramel malts with some hop bitterness. Fruitier more than sweet. Not nearly robust enough to "take the chill off the cold winter months." Thankfully, it is still early autumn in the PNW.

M-Smooth, but the mouthfeel is too light for style.

D-This is nothing to get excited about. Winter Warmer is one of my favorite styles, and at 8.0% ABV this is very welcome for winter, but I have a hard time believing it since this beer goes downhill after the pour. Overall, lackluster.

This is one of those beers that I had a long time ago and remember being REALLY good and had wanted to try again. Unfortunately, it's pretty hard to find outside the Portland-area. Thankfully, I know of a store that is almost sure to always have em...but that's a secret! :)

4-month old, 22 oz. bottle:
The Tannen Bomb has a nice, thick, latte-esque, mocha-colored head which results in pretty thick lacing. This is obviously heavily malted, as the label says. The beer itself is a dark, deep copper color--sorta like an IPA.

The smell is very nice but is actually kind of difficult to describe. It is incredibly sweet and reminiscent of candy strawberry or cherry. There is even a little cotton candy. I also felt like I detected a little bourbon and caramel. No hops. No yeast.

The taste, like the smell, is very sweet and is reminiscent of a strawberry or cherry cream soda. There is some mild hoppyness but it is mostly malty and sweet like candy. This is an awesome brew! It is very drinkable and pleasant. It says it is a "Winter Warmer" yet is without any chocolate or harsh hop flavors which are usually present in warmers. Maybe this is half warmer, half barley wine?

The only downside to this, I think, would be its sweetness. It certainly makes for a good nightcap or a dessert, but didn't go well with the snack of potato chips I had about half way through drinking the 22oz. I was hungry but couldn't really think of anything I had that would go well with the beer so I just had to take a break and keep eating before drinking any more. This might go well with cherry or apple pie, or with any fruit in general, but you may find it more enjoyable on its own.

12 oz bottle from John's Marketplace served during Twelve Beers of Christmas tasting, 12/22/09. Sampled at HAF earlier in month, and after pouring Jim during Friday am session and seeing this interest in this beer, added to tasting roster.

Dark amber body, light tan 1 finger head, slow dissipation with nice lacing. Nose is pretty complex, big bready malt presence balanced by spicy and piney hops, but they are not dominant. The taste isn't overly hoppy, once again a nice balance. Good carbonation and nice mouthfeel, very drinkable. I'll be investigating other brews from this brewery in the future. One of the best Winter Warmers I've come across so far. Recommended.

Mouthfeel: Well carbonated with a big body reminiscent of a barleywine.

Drinkability: Overall a solid effort, seems more like a barleywine than a winter warmer (or are these not mutually exclusive categories?). A bit heavy and very fresh, I think this beer would really shine with some aging.

Taste is pretty strong on the caramel, with some toffee and vanilla, caramelized sugars

Mouthfeel is sharp and creamy, with sticky malt and a spicy, bitter finish.

Drinkability is pretty good, a nice full flavored winter warmer that satisfies without beating up the palate. The well hidden ABV makes it a good value and a sure-fire way to spread the yule tide cheer!

Poured a fresh 12oz bottle into a goblet. Poured a light mahogany with brilliant ruby and garnet highlights with a frosting-like two-finger head of a creamy hazelnut color. The head stuck around for an eternity before fading to a thick collar leaving some fair lacing down the glass.

Aroma of a neutral and even-tempered winter warmer. Plenty of malt, with a good caramel sweetness augmented by blackberry honey and a bit of pastry aroma. Some herbal and floral hop notes waft through the sweeness, as does a subtle hint of spices and a touch of fruity hops.

Tastes like a solid winter warmer. Even malt, a bit more on the sweet side than bready, with a nice earthy undertone. Fruit sweetness as a result of the citrusy hops blending with the malt, yielding notes of fig, caramelized apple, plums, and a unique and enticing blackberry flavor. There's definite hoping but it's not in-your-face, gently lending its floral and herbal hop notes with just the slightest grapefruit essence. Subtle hints of cinnamon, clove, mace, and cardamom remind you its winter. Pretty beautiful flavor profile that's unbelievably well rounded.

Full bodied and creamy, with a more full body than the glowing garnet would hint at. Carbonation seems perfect, gently coaxing the creaminess and full mouthfeel to a pinnacle. A touch of maple syrupiness texturally reminds the tongue of the sweetness while a slightly bitter and barely astringent hop bittering balances nicely.

Overall, a very solid winter warmer with a few interesting flavors. Nothing outstanding and nothing unbelievably out of the ordinary, while some of the fruit notes (blackberry), spices, and herbal (english?) hops created a nicely well-rounded winter warmer when it seems the trend is either maltorific or hop bomb disguised in a snowcapped label. Definitely worth cracking a bottle if you find yourself with the opportunity.

Here we are, just a couple weeks into fall, and already I'm drawn to the Tannen Bomb Winter Warmer on-tap at Bailey's, downtown Portland. $4 for a 12 oz. snifter-fill. Possibly the earliest calendar date I've ever had this or any other of the style. Have had this several times, most recently was probably the Holiday Ale Festival last December.

A: Dark brown/mahogany pour with lighter glints of amber. Retains a fairly firm 1/2-finger cap of creamy, soapy ivory and falls gradually to a thinner scattering of sparkling film. Slow and steady carbonation crawls up the glass, concealed somewhat back in the murkier depths. Pretty lace, sticking in thin bands.

S: Light aroma that's got a pleasant malty sweetness tempered by some herbal and citrus hoppiness. Also holds a squeeze of honey, a dash of orange zest, faint tannic oak and traces of holiday spice. Not as bold as I'd have liked, but enough to evoke a cold winter day (and a warming ale to go with it).

T: Toasty malt and a sugary caramel go nicely with a more pronounced bittering (pithy orange rind and grapefruit). Balance seems fair - beginning malty with earthy hints of cocoa and peat, evolving to sharper citrus and tart fruit/hops, then rounding of with a more caramel finish.

M: Well carbonated, steady mouthfeel, leaning towards creaminess. Having read other reviews that cited a weakness in this category, I wonder if those suffered some from being kept in bottles; this kegged version was fresh, lively, medium/full-bodied and held up for several minutes with a gentle citrus-y/malty coating finish.

D: A tasty winter warmer with a concealed alcohol strength; 8% is virtually undetectable. Good flavor profile and nice balance. A beer that I'll certainly having again this fall/winter, especially when the draught version is available.

A: The ale is an amber color with brownish highlights. The head was 1.5 fingers on pour before dissolved to a small band.

S: The aroma is a malty nose with spicy hop character and a bit of tangy nutmeg.

T: The flavor is strong caramel and biscuit malts. The concentration is surprising, creating a very bread-like taste that is highlighted by nutmeg and cinnamon notes. The alcohol comes through clearly, accentuating the malt and spices. There is a bit of hop bitterness that comes through near the end, adding a flourish to the finish.

M: The ale is a strong, malty ale, flavorful and warming.

D: The abv is high and somewhat noticeable in the taste, but 8%? That shocked me. The ale is a nice drink for a cold winter night.

Pours a pretty, opaque brown color with orange highlights. The inch of head is khaki-colored, creamy, and retains wonderfully while leaving some pretty lacing on the glass. Aroma of sweet caramel and dark malts, dark fruit, and a subtle nutty character. Palate is sweet malt, dark fruit, and just a touch of light fruity hops. Slightly pungent notes of tropical fruit are evident around mid-palate. Body is fairy thick but not creamy. Alcohol is very well masked, so much so that this is a fairly dangerous beer that can sneak up on you pretty quickly. On the whole, very tasty, although the fruitiness can get a little funky after a while.

poured out relatively vigorously yet no head formed and the beer appeared a little lifeless. hazy amber in color, while caramel malt and prunes predominated the nose. flavor is much the same, with a slight bit of funky, yeasty notes detected. really, kinda boring... but mouthfeel is this beers best quality; creamy with ample carbonation. i don't know what the hell "winter warmer" means in terms of style, but this is essentially a strong red ale... nothing special. i could drink a few of these if i wanted to, but it's just so much an underwhelming experience that i wouldn't (wan't to).

ok, so i'm editing my review a few minutes later and as the beer has warmed it has also become a little more flavorful. and i'm not so sure it's a strong red ale anymore but it is didtinctively English... something like an English strong ale.

Equal parts dark bronze, brick red and rustic orange with fiery orange edges. The golden brown sugar head is impressively tight-bubbled and should stick around for a good long while. As expected, a thick coat of lace is beginning to appear as the cap deflates (and results in plenty of eye candy in the end). Now this is how a winter warmer ought to look.

The nose is heavy on sweet caramel and light on citric hops. My first impression of 'too weak' no longer applies now that the head has almost finished melting. I'm now able to appreciate a pleasant buttered rum aroma that puts me in mind of the holidays.

Tannen Bomb may not be a malt bomb as the brewery would have us believe, but it does fit comfortably within the bounds of the style; something that isn't always a given when it comes to winter warmers. Several more mouthfuls tell me that it belongs on the lighter end of the style scale however. Even more malt and even more rich, malty flavor would make it an even better beer.

The hop bill consists of Chinook, Liberty and Fuggles (brewed with) and Kent Goldings (dry-hopped with). Chinook is possibly the only one of those that I might have been able to identify due to the resiny, spiced grapefruit flavor that it imparts. I could do with more hops as well as more malt. A citric tartness is at least as prominent as bitterness, with sweet bringing up the rear. Unusual, and not entirely welcome, for the style.

The beer would be much better served with a bigger, chewier mouthfeel. It seems like it'll get there when beer first enters mouth, but the expected viscosity never really materializes. Age might be the culprit, although without any sort of dating, how would I know whether I have a one-year-old or a two-year-old bottle? I doubt that it's any older than that.

Tannen Bomb, while good beer and a fine version of a sometimes hard to define style, isn't as explosive as it could be. As always, my suggestion to is add more of everything. It's a good little drinker though and is another worthwhile offering from little known Golden Valley Brewery.

Pours a slightly hazy deep amber with a one finger slightly off white head somewhat creamy look to it,wow big fruit in the aromas it really jumps out at ya as it warmed a little the brown sugar and caramel elements show thru more very appetizing.After the first few sips I noticed quite a big alcohol burn but as I drank more it semmed to meld into a nice rounded winter ale, brown sugar and ripe fruit like cherry even a little orange with some caramel.The alcohol is strong up front but this is quite good it is a big malt bomb and really warming.

Dense brown in color with some fizziness, but not much of a head. Pretty nice aroma with toffee and caramel and some fruit, maybe even a little cinnamon. The sweetness in the flavor is a little overwhelming. Stonger fruit notes come out as it warms. Medium bodied, for some reason I thought it was going to be more full bodied than this. I think I'd have to be in the mood for this one since the sweetness was so strong. Not an everyday beer.

Quite an attractive deep brown coloured ale, slightlyhazy with a beautiful thick, creamy off white head. Nice laceing.
A very malty aroma to this one,mainlly smells of caramel and slight chocolate hints.
In taste this brewis indeed dominated by the amalts, as it says so on the label, but it is not too sweet and has a low intensity, long lasting bitterness near the end. Taste profiles: ddark fruits, dried apricots and dark unrefined sugars.
I found this quite pleasant on the palate on this cold late Fall night.
Good cold weather ale, though I believe two would be sufficient before bed!

This was a bottle of the 2004 version of Tannen Bomb. I live about 2.5 hours from McMinnville and drop in often. I remember this being better on tap.

The beer poured light brown with a off white creamy head. It had good lacing but the head dropped pretty quick.

The nose was a caramel. It was rather light. It was a thin ligt bodied mouthfeel. The flavor was moderately sweet and slightly malty. There was a moderate bitterness and a bit of acholol bit. I remember earlier versions being more of a warmer with more alcohol and more malt. This years version is not holding up as well as prior years. The early 2000's editions could age over a year and were rich and thick. Hopefully next years will return to the full winter warmer this used to be.